Speaker systems are commonly used in commercial and industrial buildings for a variety of purposes, including the delivery of music, for paging, and for emergency alerts. Buildings of these types are typically constructed using a drop ceiling of standard 16 millimeter (mm) thick ceiling tiles suspended on a frame. Occasionally, non-standard ceiling tile thicknesses are also used, depending on the construction. In addition, some buildings are constructed with hard ceilings, as opposed to drop ceilings.
Often, it is necessary to install such speaker systems after the construction of the building and into the existing ceiling. Typical speaker assemblies must be held in place and then fastened in some way to the ceiling. Installation of these speaker assemblies often requires an installer to climb a ladder and attempt to install a speaker assembly into the ceiling while precariously perched some height above the floor. Such installation often requires the installer to balance at the top of the ladder while using one hand to hold the speaker assembly in place and the other hand to manipulate a tool for fastening the speaker assembly to the ceiling, such as a power drill or a manual screw driver. Thus, installation of speaker assemblies can be very dangerous to installers.